Elvis Presley statue reaches out to visitors in front of the Tupelo City Hall. Tupelo is proud to be the birthplace of the king of rock 'n' roll.

It was a movie moment.

A small group of middle-aged men and women gathered by our Harley-Davidsons for a group picture in Mississippi.

We decided to call ourselves “Wild Hogs” in honor of the so-named film in which a group of suburban biker wannabes looking for adventure hit the open road.

While we’re not John Travolta, Tim Allen, William Macy or Martin Lawrence, as weekend warriors we too got much more than we had bargained for. We were a Denver couple, a guy from Seal Beach and a fellow from New Orleans, and a pair from New York City.

And along the nearly 1,000-mile trip through Mississippi, we learned as much about each other as we did this great Southern state.

There’s always been something special about touring on a motorcycle. Especially on a crisp fall day, when you become part of the scenery, enjoying all the sights, sounds and smells.

My brothers and I have owned motorcycles since we were teens. Over the years, the bikes grew with us. Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda we had them all as we graduated from off-road riding in the hills of Pittsburgh to suburban streets.

My last motorcycle was a sweet shaft-drive, water-cooled Honda 500. It was a great urban bike with enough power for a little touring.

But when I moved to Whittier, I sold my precious bike to a nephew. And after learning how to drive on the freeways, I decided motorcycles might not be the safest investment for me in Southern California.

Meanwhile, my brothers had graduated to Harley-Davidsons, ending up with huge, custom touring monsters. Now, they travel in style on scenic motorcycle rides around the country.

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They loved Montana, they liked the Blue Ridge Mountains, and they’re planning a trip to Portland.

So I jumped at the chance to tour Mississippi and see if I could handle a Harley-Davidson touring bike. It would give me a taste of their passion for open touring.

Granted, I chose the quiet Natchez Trace tour because it is a scenic byway maintained by the National Park Service. There’s no commercial vehicles on the beautiful two-lane highway running from Natchez all the way to Nashville, Tenn. And the speed limit is only 55 miles per hour.

So a month ago, I flew nonstop from LAX to New Orleans to join the Wild Hogs. The grand adventure began when we picked up our rentals from Harley-Davidson of New Orleans only four miles from the airport.

Soon we mounted up for the 170-mile ride to Natchez. Cutting across Louisiana, we rumbled through Baton Rouge before turning north into Mississippi.

That’s when it started raining, forcing us to the berm so we could don our rain suits. We were already wet, so the falling temperatures soon had us shivering.

We were off to a rocky start, arriving tired and wet in Natchez hours behind schedule. But the friendly folks at the historic Eola Hotel soon booked us into our rooms where we could warm up and dry off.

Famished, we pigged out at the Pig Out Inn Barbecue only a couple blocks away. It was our introduction to Southern barbecue at its very best.

Pork quickly became a staple in our diet. As one waitress quipped “Do you want the pork or the pork?” The Wild Hogs soon became culinary hogs.

In the morning, we toured the famous plantation homes in Natchez. Stops included Stanton Hall, an opulent Greek Revival mansion built for a cotton magnate in 1857 and Longwood, the largest octagonal house ever built in the country. This haunting mansion was never completed after the rich family lost its wealth in the Civil War.

We stopped at the Visit Natchez Welcome Center for some history and a wonderful film on this rich little town. Then we drove down to the mighty Mississippi for a good view of this sprawling river that serves as the commercial highway of the South.

Residents were getting ready for the annual Great Mississippi Balloon Race, when colorful balloons fill the skies over Natchez. The popular October festival features live music as well as a carnival with rides and games.

Then it was kickstands up for our first day on the Natchez Trace Parkway. In middle to late October, the parkway is awash with bright fall foliage. The maple, hickory and oak show off their brilliant colors.

After our group photo, we stopped at the Emerald Mound, the second largest Native American temple mound in the nation. The mound covers eight acres and stands 70 feet tall. The National Park Service says archeologists believe the mounds were the settings for elaborate civic processions, ceremonial dances and religious rituals.

A hundred miles later, we rolled into Jackson, the capital of Mississippi. Jackson calls itself the City with Soul. There seems to be a huge church on every corner. It also has the Mississippi Children’s Museum, Mississippi Museum of Natural Science and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. The beautiful state capitol features Beaux Arts Classical architecture patterned after the nation’s capitol.

We roared out of Jackson early the next morning for a 183-mile drive to Tupelo. Along the way, we stopped at the Mississippi Crafts Center. Operated by the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi, this new center showcases regional artists.

We stopped for lunch in Canton, “The Movie Capital of Mississippi.” Hollywood has shot five major films here, including “A Time to Kill” and “O Brother Where Art Thou.”

We had just missed the famous twice-yearly Canton Flea Market Arts & Crafts Show that draws 100,000 visitors. The locals were already decorating their Christmas trees in mid-October. But Christmas is a huge event here; the three Canton Animation Museums feature 135 life-size animated figures.

Back on the road again, our next stop was Cypress Swamp. This quiet oasis of water tupelo and cypress offers a long boardwalk. It’s very photogenic.

After a good night’s rest, we spent the morning exploring Tupelo, Elvis Presley’s birthplace. The tiny, two-room house built by his father and grandfather, was where Elvis was born on Jan. 8, 1935. They Assembly of God Church —where he was first exposed to gospel music — is also open for tours.

Tupelo Hardware certainly played a part in the King’s success. In 1946, it is said, Elvis wanted to purchase a rifle for his birthday. His mother persuaded Elvis to consider getting a guitar instead, and store employees allowed him to try it out. For a great photo, cross the street to a bronze statue of Elvis performing in Tupelo in 1956.

After visiting the amazing Tupelo Car Museum, we turned our hogs south for our run back to New Orleans. We made it to Hattiesburg, 230 miles away, before calling it the night.

After more pork at Leatha’s BBQ, we got some much needed rest before riding our last 119 miles to New Orleans.